


standing drowned in the valley between her hips

by lol-phan-af (lol_phan_af)



Series: if you'll be mine, til the end of all time [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, Lack of Communication, M/M, Miscommunication, Multi, One Night Stands, Other, Polyamory, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 16:45:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14773373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lol_phan_af/pseuds/lol-phan-af
Summary: Eliza sat back on the couch and collapsed onto Hercules' shoulder. Tears dotted her eyes before she could do anything about it. She didn't want to love Adrienne, she didn't want to fall in love with Adrienne, but before she could even object to it, she was standing drowned in the valley between her hips and the smooth plane of her back, the steep mountain range that were the knuckles of her closed fists and wrapped in the ribbon of her words, swimming in the thoughts she chose to speak aloud. She loved her, absolutely, and nothing petrified her more than that."Eliza…" Alex muttered, throwing his blanket over the three of them and kissing her temple."I do love her, Alex. I love her so fucking much and every time I see her, it hits me so hard. Every time I see her and Maria, on the phone or just texting each other in our stupid group chat, my heart just feels so heavy because I know she feels the same way and I can't, I don't know what to do."





	standing drowned in the valley between her hips

_(2:55)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM DOING IN HERE_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:55)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ELIZA ITS THE FOURTH AISLE TO THE LEFT AND ITS UNDER THE UGLY FROG PRINT NOBODY BUYS PLEASE!!! ITS FOR ALEX, WHOM YOU LOVE, AND WITHOUT HIM WE WOULD HAVE NO ONE TO HUG SO PLEASE !!! THREE YARDS OF IT !!! POLKA DOT PRINT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:56)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: I ACTUALLY HATE YOU WHO MAKES SOMEONE PAJAMAS FOR THEIR BIRTHDAY_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:56)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ME, BC HE ASKED FOR THEM AND HES OUR BESTIE AND AFTER HE GOT ME AN ENTIRE !! SEWING !! MACHINE !! FOR M Y BIRTHDAY, THIS IS WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR HIM, SO YEEHAW GIDDY UP GET THE RED POLKA DOT PRINT BC I !! RAN !! OUT !!  
_ _  
_ _(2:57)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ALSO BECAUSE HE HAS NO PAJAMAS AND I WORRY ABOUT HIM IN THE WINTER, WHICH IT IS RIGHT NOW_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:58)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: UGH FINE_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:58)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: T H R E E  Y A R D S_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:59)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: WHATEVER_ _  
_ _  
_ Eliza huffed and shoved her phone back in her purse, wandering the aisles full of fabric and different sewing supplies, wondering how much time she could actually spend in here before Hercules got mad. Twenty minutes, she decided, fingers running over cool sheets of satin and heavy chiffon dragging across her skin and wondering why she never came here. She could come more often if she wanted, but she knew the next time would probably be whenever Hercules dragged her and Alex in before going to the discount coffee shop Eliza liked a block away.   
  
"Excuse me, do you work here?" A woman asked, and Eliza sighed. No, everyone who worked here wore bright neon green polo shirts, and her look she picked out that morning specifically so she would look like the kindergarten teacher she _was_ did not at _all_ reflect that. She didn't even _look_ like a person who worked in a fabric shop. Her mind supplied the reminder to be polite as she looked up to answer, but found nothing coming out of her mouth as her face turned red all the way to the tips of her ears.   
  
The woman standing in front of her, cheeks and nose cold from the winter cold outside, was quite possibly the most beautiful person Eliza had ever seen in her twenty-one short years on this planet. Brown skin and high cheekbones, legs that went on for miles as she towered over her, dark lipstick and curly hair pulled back into a ponytail that reached past her waist.   
  
Eliza swallowed hard. "Uh, no. I —I don't work here, no."   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, cheeks burning darker than they had before. "You were just the first person I saw, and nobody else is here, so, I—fuck, sorry."   
  
"No, you're fine!" Eliza was quick to blurt out, glancing over to the register and finding nobody behind the desk. "That kind of makes sense, you're fine."   
  
"No, you don't even look like you work here, I'm just trying to find fabric for my sister, and I have no idea where I would even start."   
  
Eliza nodded. "Me either, I'm actually in here for my friend. I'm supposed to be getting polka dot fabric for our other friend's birthday present, but there's just so many other things to look at I kind of got sidetracked. I like your jacket, by the way," Eliza muttered, staring at the dark pink peacoat she wore, since looking at her face proved to make her too flushed. Out of all the times to be gay.   
  
"Thank you! My sister made it for me, which is actually why I'm here now." She smiled awkwardly and focused on the pink and white checkered pattern on the floor. "Her making this made my other sister jealous, and now she wants her to make this ugly robe as  _emotional payment_ , or whatever."   
  
"What kind of ugly robe?" Eliza asked, knowing that she was wasting precious time but also that this girl was worth throwing a life's worth of time away for just one conversation.   
  
The girl laughed. "It's gonna have frogs on it? Ugly frogs, _hideously_ ugly, and its long and going to be stuffed in some parts with faux fur and _ugh_ , I hate it, but they're my sisters and I love them so hey, what else am I supposed to do."   
  
"I get that a lot, actually. How many sisters do you have?" Eliza absentmindedly thought what it would be like to kiss this girl as she rummaged through her mind for conversation topics. Siblings, she could do siblings. She had tons of those little things.   
  
"Three, but I also have two brothers and a half-brother, so Thanksgiving gets pretty wild," she commented, fiddling with the buttons on her jacket. "You?"   
  
"Uh, three sisters, three brothers, and a sibling, not to mention my _throngs_ of cousins who come in so much and so often that they _feel_ like siblings." She paused for a moment before adding, "Also, I think I know what fabric you're talking about!"   
  
The two of them went into the aisle Hercules told Eliza about, delighted to find both the red polka dot fabric and the gross frog print, taking the large bolts of fabric to the cutter, getting how much they needed and paying before leaving the store together.   
  
Eliza walked in the direction of Hercules' shop before being stopped by a hand clapping down on her shoulder, turning to see the girl again, panting.   
  
"I never got your name," she said, gaining composure and standing up straighter. "Or your number, which I would really enjoy having because you're cute and funny and possibly the only person outside of _my_ family I know who can relate to having a family as big as mine."   
  
Eliza smiled up at her. "My name is Eliza Schuyler, and I can give you my number now if you want, or I can put it in your phone if you—?"   
  
"Oh, my phone is dead! Can you write it down for me?"   
  
Eliza nodded, digging through her coat pocket and pulling out a pen. She tried to ignore the way her skin felt like fireworks were going off, ignited on her nerve endings, as their hands touched and she scrawled down her number on her hand.   
  
"I'm Maria, by the way," she whispered, breathing uneven as Eliza let go.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Maria. I hope your sister's robe comes out okay."   
  
Maria beamed at her as she walked away. "Thank you! I hope your polka dot fabric is put to good use!"   
  
\---   
  
Eliza groaned as the infernal vibrating sounds coming from one of their phones wormed its way up through the pillows on their bed and woke her up from her _beautifully_ peaceful nap. Maria yelled, shoving her hand underneath Eliza's head and pulling her own phone from beneath it.   
  
"What do you _want_ , Susanna?" Maria whined once she answered. "I was asleep with my _wife_ and you woke me up; my crankiness is entirely valid." She sighed as Eliza rolled over and tucked her head underneath Maria's chin. Eliza listened to the unintelligible chattering of Maria's sister on the phone, warm and cozy in her arms.   
  
"We have dinner with Alex and everyone later tonight," Eliza reminded her, grinning when Maria kissed her head.   
  
"No, I don't know what Richard's favorite color is. He's _your_ twin, shouldn't you know this stuff?" She huffed and sunk further into the mattress. "Well, I don't know. Ask Sarah, I don't have time for this." Maria hung up and inched down the bed, wrapping her arms around Eliza.   
  
"I don't even want to go to this dinner," she admitted. "I just want to stay here for the rest of the night and love you."   
  
Eliza carded her fingers through Maria's hair. "While I would love to do that with you, Alex has been planning this with Lafayette and Thomas for weeks. They would kill us if we skipped. Besides, Lafayette's French friend from France is coming, so we get to meet new people."   
  
"Fuck new people," Maria grumbled. "All I care about it my favorite people and all of my favorite people are you."   
  
"You're cute, but we really should get up and eat, then get ready, then go eat dinner for _free_ , because Thomas Jefferson is rich and so in love with Alex and Lafayette that he is willing to pay what will probably be a three hundred dollar bill just because he loves them so much."   
  
"Would you pay three hundred dollars for a dinner with me?" Maria asked, rolling them so she was on top now, cheek resting on Eliza's chest.   
  
Eliza played with a piece of her hair. "I already have, you just didn't know about it at the time." She slid out from underneath Maria's body, running to the bathroom before she could say anything else.   
  
Marrying Maria, three years ago in the park on the lake two miles out from Maria's old hometown, was the best thing to ever happen to Eliza. She remembered it like it was yesterday, two hundred people packed together onto pristine white and blue cloth covered chairs, Alex standing behind her as Maria made her way up the aisle, her mother's arm linked with hers. She looked stunning, hair pinned up in the front but cascading down her back, smiling so wide with tears falling down her face, and Eliza felt every single second of love she felt for Maria for the past five years all come down on her at once, as her hands covered her mouth and her eyes welled with tears.   
  
"Thinking about something, my love?" Maria asked, coming into the bathroom after her and turning on the shower.   
  
Eliza sighed and turned to her. "Just our wedding and how perfect it was. I love you so much."   
  
"I love you too," Maria said, beaming as she got in the shower. She held out her hand. "Now get in here with me."   
  
Who was Eliza to say no to that?   
  
\---   
  
_(6:24)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: !! are !! y'all !! ready !! lafayette and adrienne are talking using french slang and I'm so in love_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:25)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I want lafayette to fuck me when we get home_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:25)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: was thAT MEANT FOR THIS CHAT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:26)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: NO_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:26)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: BYE BYE BYE IT WAS MEANT FOR THOMAS!!!!!_ _  
_ _  
_ Maria laughed as Eliza's phone went off, going back into the bathroom where she was still brushing her teeth. She took a second to drink in the sight in front of Eliza, red nails tapping against the countertop as she glanced down at the timer on her phone. She always set a timer when she brushed her teeth, to make sure she spent exactly two minutes, and Maria loved nothing more than getting to know the little things Eliza did that some other people wouldn't. She liked that there were little parts of themselves that not many other people got to see, their own private world inside their apartment. She stared at the curve of shoulders and the dip of her spine, her hips and legs and everything Maria loved about her. Eliza’s eyelashes, impossibly long, blinked at her own reflection as the timer went off and she spit her toothpaste into the sink.   
  
“You got text messages,” Maria finally spoke up, clearing her throat.

"What did they say?" She asked, taking the plastic cup from the counter and filling it with water.   
  
"Uh, Alex wants to know if you and Hercules are ready, and also he wants to have sex with Lafayette later."   
  
Eliza smiled. "Sounds like Alex."   
  
Maria sighed, grinning, and walked over to Eliza. Her hair was getting longer, something Maria loved just because it was part of her, remembering the days three years ago when her hair fanned out everywhere and Maria would run her hands through it, right before she cut it. She wrapped her arms around Eliza's waist, and nuzzled into her shoulder, breathing in the pineapple smell of her soap and the honey scented shampoo she used too much of.   
  
"I love you, but if you don't stop right now, we're going to be late," Eliza told her. She leaned over and kissed Maria's cheek, not moving her mouth from her skin as she added, "Very late."   
  
"But you're so _warm_ ."   
  
"We have to get _going_ ; Alex is probably already out the door, and we aren't even dressed yet."   
  
_(6:30)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: ARE YOU READY????_ _  
_ _  
_ Maria showed Eliza the new message, which Eliza didn't even read before pulling Maria out of the room and over to their closet, which was more of a box than a closet, but she digressed. Maria sat on the bed and watched as Eliza pulled out the purple silk dress she wore for special occasions, the one that made her legs look amazing and made Maria feel like her brain was short circuiting.   
  
"Can I pick out your clothes for tonight?" Eliza asked, sifting through work shirts and dresses and skirts that couldn't be thrown in their drawers like their other shirts and pants. "Because I have a certain dress in mind so we can both look classy and stun everyone else there."   
  
"Is it the green lacy one that's supposed to be nude but it's too light?"   
  
Eliza turned and kissed her. "If you're comfortable with that. You can always say no."   
  
Maria laced their fingers together. "Will you wear the necklace I got you last Christmas?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Hand me the dress."  
  
\---   
  
_(6:52)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: WE'RE LEAVING NOW_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:52)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: IM ALREADY H E R E_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:53)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: YEAH BC JOHN DOESNT LIVE W YOU AND THEREFORE CANT DISTRACT YOU WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO GET READY_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:54)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: first of all, below the belt_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:54)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: SECOND, john is sleeping over toniGHT so sh UT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:55)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: THIRD, I have not one but TWO significant others who are beautiful and distracting and wE are still going to be two minutes early_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:55)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: you sent me a sext so you don't get to make points right now_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:55)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: uHHhH IT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO GO TO YOU AND IT WAS NOT A SE X T PER SE IT WAS AN INTENTION TO MAKE A PLAN TO SEDUCE LAFAYETTE LATER IN THE NIGHT AFTER I TALK TO Y OU R ASS FOR LIKE TWO HOURS_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:56)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ok, rude_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:56)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: besides, I have already talked to lafayette about it and they have confirmed my plan so !! ;^)_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:57)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ECH_ _  
_ _  
_ \---   
  
The first thing Eliza noticed about Lafayette's French friend from France was that she was fucking _tall_ . Eliza was tiny in the first place, only ever coming up to Maria's shoulder on a good day, but Adrienne was even taller than that, long braids down to her waist with some pulled into a bun at the top of her head, nails decorated with tiny polka dots with three rings on her fingers. Her dress matched Lafayette's shirt, blush pink with cut outs in the side that made Eliza's feel like she was dipped in honey, spaghetti straps showing her bare arms and Eliza tried not to stare too long.   
  
Reality came rushing back to her all at once. She was here with her _wife_ , the woman she loved for the past eight years, the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Eliza looked over at Maria, shocked to see her blushing, eyes wide as her whole body stood frozen, like if you touched her she would crumbles to dust. Eliza looked back to Adrienne only to find her staring right back at them, smug grin on her face like she had this effect on every woman she came across, which Eliza didn't doubt for a second.   
  
"Love?" Eliza whispered, noticing searching for anything in Maria's eyes that would give her some sort of clue as to what they were supposed to do in this situation. This was uncharted territory for the both of them, to find someone who drew their attention like they drew each other's to themselves.   
  
"Yeah," Maria said, coming back to earth. "Yeah, uh, sorry."   
  
"We can talk about it later?" She offered, relief rushing through her body when Maria grinned and nodded. She didn't have to ask for a clarification, she knew Maria understood what she was talking about. Eight years together and this is one of the things they picked up best, how to telepathically communicate as wives. Eliza loved her so much.   
  
Maria kissed behind her ear. "Of course."   
  
\---   
  
Forty-three minutes into dinner and all Eliza had was sweaty palms and the sneaking suspicion that Adrienne was flirting with her. Her food hadn't come yet, everyone else too enthralled in their conversation about wedding decorations to pay attention to her, Maria, and Adrienne, who leaned on her elbow just to get closer to Eliza, leaving her with no distractions or ways to alleviate the good kind of stress this gave her.   
  
She swallowed hard. "Did you, uh, when did you and Lafayette meet?"   
  
Adrienne smiled at them, slow and wide with dazzling white teeth. "We met when we were small. Infants, actually, I've known them as long as I could remember."   
  
"That's cute," Maria commented, hand gripping Eliza's thigh under the table. Her hand snuck underneath the fabric and onto bare skin, making Eliza blush even more than she already was. Maria always did that when she worried, needed the warmth and familiarity of her wife. Eliza loved her, loved that she had the ability to be the anchor to Maria whenever she felt she was floating away. "I would've loved to know Lafayette when they were smaller, and see how they've grown now."   
  
" _Merci,_ it truly is amazing who they've become." She unwrapped her silverware and set her napkin on her lap. "So, h ow long have you two been together?"   
  
"Eight years," Eliza answered, grinning to herself. Maria's hand still rested on her leg, relaxing into the comforting reality that this, them, was always going to be there, and nothing was going to change no matter what happened.   
  
"Married for four," Maria added. Adrienne deterred for a moment, studying the two of them, before leaning slightly back in her chair. Eliza cleared her throat and moved her legs further out under the table, not stopping until she felt the felt strap of Adrienne's heel against her foot and her calf against her ankle. This time it was Adrienne who blushed, but she didn't move away.   
  
"Eliza!" Alex called down the table, startling Thomas sitting next to him. "The fettucine alfredo is yours."   
  
"Oh! Right." She took the plate from the waitress as she handed it to her. "Thank you."   
  
Adrienne's leg stayed pressed against Eliza's for the rest of the evening, as did Maria's hand on her thigh. Their touch gave her goosebumps, and if this night ended in the way she knew her and Maria were hoping it would, they probably wouldn't go away for long even if she did do something to stop them now. She felt like somehow, in the two hours they'd been at dinner, Adrienne had been tapped into their telepathic connection, and now her and Maria spoke silently in their eye contact and discussed how to kill Eliza by ways of sexual tension. They succeeded almost too easily, as Eliza could barely eat with her worrying her lip in between her teeth.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" Maria asked, hands sliding across her waist. Eliza gasped, legs hitting the cool metal of their car. It was _very_ much welcome, but also made her nervous, because they still had stuff to talk about and Eliza' mind couldn't even gather a conscious thought let alone a whole conversation about what to do about Adrienne and their very real _crush_ on her.   
  
"Uh, Adrienne, and you, and...us and everything. Does that make sense? Am I making sense? I'm a little...hot right now."   
  
Maria felt her forehead, then dropped it when Eliza opened her mouth to object. "Oh! Not...that kind of hot, okay. You look beautiful tonight, by the way. I feel like I don't tell you that enough."   
  
Eliza looped her arms around Maria's neck. "You're changing the subject, my love."   
  
"I know." Maria leaned down and kissed Eliza, taking a deep breath before admitting, "I really like Adrienne."   
  
"Me too." She paused. "What are we gonna do about it?"   
  
"Maybe we ca —"   
  
"Hey," Adrienne interrupted. "Uh, I know this may seem forward, but I just wanted to say I really like you both, and I know you're married and content with the wonderful life you've made and everything, but you're friends with Alex, Lafayette, and Thomas, and your sister is Angelica with Dolley and Martha, I'm certain polyamory isn't an entirely foreign concept to you. If you don't want that, that's entirely fine, but I was just trying to get it out of the way now so—"   
  
"Do you want to come home with us?" Eliza blurted out, speaking over Maria asking the same question. Wife telepathy, she loved it and hated it at the same time.   
  
"In a sex way, we're asking if you want to have sex with us." Maria coughed as Eliza nudged her, face burning. "Just wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings."   
  
Adrienne's eyebrows flew up. "Yeah, of course I would. I didn't actually think that when I offered you would agree, I got a little bit scared." She looked down at the ground. "It's been a while since I've legitimately flirted with anyone I actually  _liked_."   
  
Maria shrugged. "You had us before you even said anything, the flirting wasn't even needed."  
  
"But it helped," Eliza added, "because sometimes we don't catch hints."  
  
"You're so cute," Adrienne commented, and Eliza died a little inside, in a good way. God, in the  _best_ way.  
  
The three of them made a plan in no time, using the flimsy excuse of going for drinks after this _incredibly_ dry night to get away, which worked better than expected considering Eliza was speaking to Alex and Hercules, her best friends who she couldn't lie to, and her sister, who caught her every time she was lying.   
  
The moment Eliza closed the backseat door behind her, she felt Adrienne's hands grazing her skin. She took a second and considered seatbelt safety, but then her hands found Adrienne's jaw, and by the time their lips collided she couldn't care if they crashed if this was the last thing she got to feel. Her braids brushed Eliza's knuckles as Adrienne's hands went from her thighs to her waist, pulling her closer until she was half on her lap. The straps of Eliza's dress fell down, Adrienne taking advantage of it and going to kiss her collarbones. Eliza noticed, distantly, that they were driving through an alley fast enough that she couldn't even process where they were, the buildings were blurring so fast.   
  
"You okay?" Eliza asked, Adrienne sitting further up to follow Eliza's gaze.   
  
"I'm fine," Maria said. "I just want to get home and get in on this."   
  
Eliza smiled, then gasped as Adrienne continued sucking marks into her skin.   
  
Eliza was put to the task of trying to unlock the door, which seemed impossible with Maria pinning Adrienne to the wall next her and Eliza still a little dizzy from making out in the car. She never pulled the straps of her dress up, and her hair was probably a mess, but that didn't stop her from dragging Adrienne past their doorman with Maria attached to her other arm and trying to return the favor of making her feel just as good as Eliza did on the elevator up.   
  
"This is impossible," Eliza muttered, scratching the key on the knob because she just _couldn't_ find the fucking lock. A few more seconds of struggling before she finally managed to stab the key in, unlocking the door groaning as the cool air of their apartment hit her skin.   
  
Maria stumbled in after her, pressing a kiss to her neck, panting. "Bedroom. Now."   
  
"Get me out of this first," Eliza challenged, sweeping her hair in front of her shoulder. She could feel Maria's smile as she reached for her zipper and undid it, letting it fall to the floor as Adrienne shut the door behind her. Eliza kept the heels on, turning to grab Adrienne's hand and pull her into their bedroom, Maria taking her other one and leaving her dress in a pool on the floor.   
  
Maria pulled Adrienne close to her as soon as they were in their room. "Are you sure you want to do this? We want to, we know that, but we just want to make sure you're—"   
  
"Yes," Adrienne breathed. "I want this." She moved backwards until Maria feel down on the mattress, not hesitating to move so she was hovering over her. "You're stunning."   
  
Adrienne jumped as Eliza walked over and skirted her fingers on the hem of her dress and pulling it over her head, fingers dragging down the dark skin of her back. She was warm, smelled like cherries as Eliza kissed her shoulder and down, pushing her gently off Maria and putting her hands on Adrienne's hips. Maria got the message, kissing Adrienne while Eliza took off the rest of her clothes, kissing her starting at the base of her neck and slowly going all the way down.   
  
The rest of the night seemed to melt into Eliza's memories as it went on, the same smell of cherries hitting her nose when she woke up the next morning. She curled into Adrienne's body, craving the warmth missing from the other side of the bed, where Maria was searching for her shirt.   
  
"What're you doing?" Eliza grumbled, stretching her arms and blocking her eyes from the sun. Adrienne reached out for her instinctively, trying to pull her back in as she moved away.   
  
"Well, I was gonna wake you both up so we could go _get_ breakfast," Maria explained, "but then you looked really cute and I didn't wanna put on underwear, so making breakfast seemed like the better option."   
  
Eliza shrugged and got up, shivering as the cool air hit her skin. She wanted to crawl under the blankets again and cuddle Adrienne, let her envelope Eliza in the warmth of her skin and the coconut scent of her hair. She wanted to reprise last night, and kiss every inch of her until she was gasping. She wanted a lot of things, but for now she guessed she'd have to settle for the cold of their apartment and the fact that this thing with Adrienne was only for tonight, and they probably wouldn't get it again.   
  
"Okay, I'll come. We should talk, anyway, about this. Wife telepathy won't really help us right now."   
  
Maria kissed her once she was close enough. "Don't underestimate our wife telepathy, but also yeah, come on."   
  
"I love you." Eliza wrapped her arms around Maria's waist. "I'm fucking cold."   
  
"I'll help you warm up," Maria laughed, "just keep holding on. I love you too."   
  
Despite their promise to talk, they sat in the kitchen in silence. Eliza wanted to say something, about how she loved Maria with her whole heart, and wanted to spend her whole life with her, but also how she wanted to have a relationship with her and Adrienne, and go on dates and get to know her just like she got to when they first started dating. She wanted to say how last night was amazing, and after everything calmed down and it was the three of them talking, how she wanted that more than just once in a lifetime, she wanted that, for now, at _least_ three times a fucking week.   
  
"I know," Maria said.   
  
"What?"   
  
"I know what you're thinking about. You like Adrienne, and you want to spend more time with her, and I want that too, but despite the fact we can read each other's minds we won't talk about it and we've been together almost a decade but we still can't get it together right now and—"   
  
"Yeah, but she lives in France and stuff so I don't know…" She pulled her phone out and started to text Alex, trying to explain exactly what happened last night.   
_  
_ _(9:33)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: ,,,,hey alex,,,,,,  
_

_(9:33)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: abOUT lafayette's french friend from france you know heR  
_ _  
_ "Are you kidding me?" Maria asked, leaning over her shoulder. "That's all you could come up with?"   
  
Eliza looked over at her. "Did I _ask_ you?"   
  
Maria laughed and started to get ingredients out for breakfast, pulling pans out of the cabinets while Eliza sat on the counter. 

_(9:34)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: how much would you/they freak out if me and my wife kind of sort of slept with her?? like do I have to avoid contact with them for a few months bc of the awkwardness_

 _(9:35)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: YOU WHAT_

 _(9:35)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: WRONG CHAT WRONG CHAT_ _  
_ _  
_ "I sent the text message to the gay pasta chat!" Eliza squeaked, mortified, accepting Maria's amused kiss to her forehead and cheeks as her only form of comfort.

 _(9:35)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: NO YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME DETAILS WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED AT DINNER LAST NIGHT THAT YOU ENDED UP FUCKING LAFAYETTES FRENCH FRIEND FROM FRANCE_

 _(9:37)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: HSHKHS SHE WAS SITTING LIKE AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE AND I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HER AND THEN WE LIKE,,,TALKED,,,AND LAF WAS AT THE OTHER END SO IT WASNT LIKE THEY NOTICED AND THEN WHEN WE WERE LEAVING MARIA WAS LIKE ,,,I kind of really like her,,, aND I WAS LIKE FUCK ME TOO SO UHHH WE ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO COME HOME WITH US AND SHE SMILED LIKE SHE WAS ABOUT TO EITHER KILL ME OR FUCK ME UNTIL I DIE AND SAID YES THE END_

 _(9:38)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: HSHHSSNSNS WH E RE IS ALEX  
_   
"Hey," Maria broke her from her thoughts. "What do French people eat for breakfast?"   
  
Eliza stared at her, trying to find an answer in her limited amount of knowledge on French culture, taking a moment to admire just how beautiful she looked in the morning light. The way her hair fell across her shoulders and how her shirt collar was just low enough that she could see the mark one of them left last night. She spared a thought for how much she wanted to kiss her right now, pin her to the counter and pull her shirt over her head and just—   
  
"I don't know, bread?" She interrupted her own thoughts before she got too worked up, shrugging when Maria looked at her.   
  
" _Bread?_ " She stood in between Eliza's legs and kissed her, resting her hands on her thighs. "Really?"   
  
"Hey, you asked me!" Eliza said, pushing her and laughing. She leaned down and kissed her again, eternally grateful to be married to someone as wonderful as Maria.   
  
" _Seriously, though_ ," She whined. "What should we make?"   
  
"I don't know! Eggs or something? It's going to be awkward regardless because we all slept together and she's still here and we have crushes and she probably doesn't so…" Eliza looked down at her phone, not shocked to see new messages there.   
_  
_ _(9:40)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: YOU DID N O T  
_ _  
_ _(_ _9:41)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: ALSO LAFAYETTES CHLL NO AVOIDANCE NECESSARY  
_   
Eliza sighed and thanked God for giving them people as amazing as Lafayette and Alex. "Make eggs," she told Maria, "the fluffy ones with the cheese."   
  
"You have me make eggs every Saturday morning."   
  
"Because they're so _good_ ." Eliza threw her head back and groaned. "I'm so lucky I have a wife that's a chef."   
  
"I'm _not_ a chef," Maria muttered, "I'm a cook."   
  
"At a three star restaurant, that makes you a chef," Eliza said, kicking her feet against the cabinets as she texted Alex back.   
  
_(_ _9:41)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: GOOD GOOD GOOD GREAT_

 _(9:41)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: also she's asleep rn and we're making breakfast and I'm so sad she lives in france and after this we're only going to see her if she ever comes back in and even then what if this is a fliNG I don't do flings my heart is too big and too gay_ _  
_   
Maria kissed her again, setting the empty pan down on the table for a second. "Everything I do is for you, you know that right? Everyday I go to work I'm just trying to be everything you deserve, because you deserve _everything_ you could ever want in the world. I love you so much, and sometimes I can't even believe you married me because I'm so lucky to get to spend the rest of my life with you."   
  
"I love you too, and don't for a second think you are out of my league or that you don't deserve me, because you do. You deserve the universe and I am so grateful I have you." Eliza grabbed her jaw and kissed her, combing her hands through Maria's hair and putting her hands on her waist. Maria whined, trying to get closer, hips hitting the counter as Eliza opened her legs more to let her in.   
  
They were interrupted by Eliza's phone going off, a text from Alex from two minutes ago.   
  
_(9:43)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: aw eliza_ _  
_ _  
_ Eliza laughed and sighed about to type a response when their bedroom door opened, Maria stepped away, moving back to the stove and turning it on, getting out a bowl for the eggs.   
_  
_ _(9:45)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: SHES UP GOTTA GO BYE_ _  
_ _  
_ "We have brunch soon, _n'est-ce pas?_ " She asked, eyes squinted in the morning light. She had Maria's shirt on, hanging off her shoulders. It was an old shirt they got when they went to a concert years ago, thrown on the floor of their bedroom somewhere, and the fact that Adrienne was wearing it sparked something in her chest.   
  
"Fuck," Eliza groaned. "I forgot about brunch." She considered the dread she felt over having to leave the house as Adrienne came over and sat next to her, rings that glittered on her fingers the night before gone, just her and them, sitting in their kitchen with no clue what to do and no courage to mention it.   
  
"We don't have to go," Maria told them, pouring the eggs into the pan and taking a wooden spatula. "We already have breakfast here, anyway."   
  
"And if we stay here we don't have to wait until after we get back to make out," Eliza supposed, before looking over to Adrienne. "That is, if you still _want_ to do that stuff with us."   
  
Eliza's heart was the size of a planet in her throat, her fears as vast as an ocean. It was always her and Maria, them in their exposed brick apartment and the whole world to see once they were older and done with work. Now, though, _now_ , eight years into their relationship, someone comes along that takes Eliza's heart and turns it completely upside down, and now she doesn't know what to do or where to go from here. Adrienne might not even _want_ a future with them past noon, and Eliza wasn't ready to admit to herself how much that scared her.   
  
"I do," Adrienne whispered, kicking her feet back and forth. "I wasn't kidding last night when I said I liked you both a lot, in fact I think I like you probably more than I should for knowing you for a night, but after today I don't know, exactly, how much time I'll be able to spend with you. I'm here for Lafayette, and then after I'm done here I must go back to France."   
  
"We know," Eliza breathed, kissing her shoulder.   
  
\---   
  
"How about a casual thing?" Maria questioned, pulling away from Eliza. Eliza whined, back arched until Adrienne pushed her down flat on the bed.   
  
Adrienne ran her hands through Eliza's hair. "What do you mean?"   
  
"I was so fucking close," Eliza complained. "I hate you both."   
  
"You don't." Maria kissed just below her ribcage. "And, I mean a casual thing, just for this week until you go home to France. Nothing has to come of it."   
  
Eliza sighed. "Right now I know what _I'd_ like to com —"   
  
"Okay," Adrienne agreed, "I wouldn't mind that."   
  
Maria beamed up at them. "Great."   
  
"Are you okay with that Eliza?" Adrienne asked, running her hands up her sides, grinning when Eliza looked up at her and nodded.   
  
"Yeah, that sounds amazing," she gasped. "However, if we could get back to Maria eating me out like her life depends on it, that would be _almost_ better."   
  
Maria kissed the inside of her thigh. "I'm on it, my love,"   
  
Adrienne laughed as Maria continued and Eliza squeaked _out loud_ , and Eliza almost wanted to cry about how tell the three of them worked together.   
  
\---   
  
_(2:30)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: lafayette, alex, and thomas want me to invite you over for dinner bc it's my last night here and they want me to "have friends over before I go""_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:30)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: I feel like they're my parents_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:30)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: sjdhKJHShsjd okay like dinner at Their house?? bc I'm not going out again I've been too many times this week and when we go out, our bank account suffers_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:31)_ **_lawful neutral_ ** _: rt_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:32)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: yeah at their house!! they were thinking dinner and then movie marathon, and you could sleep over if you want,,,in my room_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:32)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: and alex won't get angry bc he hates people fucking in the guest room_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:33)_ **_lawful neutral_ ** _: whY_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:34)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: I doNT KNOW I THOUGHT AT FIRST IT WAS LIKE A LESBOPHOBIC THING BC WE STAYED THERE ONCE AND HE SAID HE DIDNT WANT US FUCKING IN THERE AND I THOUGHT HE MEANT LIKE ""U S"" BUT NO ONE TIME LAFAYETTE AND THOMAS WERE REDECORATING AND IT WENT FROM HANGING STUFF UP TO THEM FUCKING AND ALEX GOT MAD AT THEM FOR LIKE THREE DAYS_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:34)_ **_lawful neutral_ ** _: this actually makes when we were staying there bc our house was getting renovated so much sense_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:34)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: yes_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:35)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: also yes I got lafayette to negotiate for me_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:35)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: and by negotiate I mean they looked at each other for like twenty seconds and communicated through facial expressions like you two do until alex melted_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:36)_ **_lawful neutral_ ** _: we do not_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:37)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: oh yes we do hush_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:37)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: also !! we'll be there !!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:38)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: super!! they said be here tonight at like seven!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:38)_ **_lawful neutral_ ** _: will do!!_ _  
_ _  
_ "She's so beautiful, I'm going to _die_ ."   
  
Maria laughed and kissed Eliza, ignoring the urge to move away from the tickling sensation Eliza's hair brushing her neck as she burrowed into it. Eliza dropped her phone and squeezed her hands in between Maria's back and the mattress, sighing as she relaxed and melted into her body.   
  
"I love you." Maria kissed her hair. "It's going to be fine." _  
_ _  
_ _(2:40)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: wait is anyone else coming??_ _  
_ _  
_ _(2:40)_ **_true neutral_ ** _: no just you two!!_ _  
_ _  
_ "That's _something_ , Maria," Eliza said, sitting up on top of her. "Going to dinner with our three engaged friends as, like, a _throuple_ , means something. It's only supposed to be a week."   
  
Maria traced patterns on Eliza's thigh. She knew the terms of their arrangement, and the reason had to be the way they were, but she still wished things were different.   
  
Over the past week, Maria and Eliza saw Adrienne five days out of seven. Most nights ended at their apartment, whether they fucked or not, but sometimes they did just kiss Adrienne goodbye at the door to Alex's apartment and complain to each other for the rest of the night that their bed was cold. They started something they had no intention or want to finish, and the inevitable fact that they had to made Maria dread this dinner a little more than she would've if that wasn't the case.   
  
"I know, babe," she answered, leaning up so her wife was in her lap. Eliza was so beautiful, as Maria swept her hair behind her shoulders. Eliza looked at her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before kissing her lips. "I love you."   
  
"I love you too," Eliza muttered, kissing her over and over again. "I still fucking like Adrienne."   
  
"So do I," Maria admitted, "but we have to let her go."   
  
"But she's am _azing_ . She's so fucking cool, Maria, when she was talking about history in that one museum I swear to god I wanted to just kiss her like nobody in the world could see us, she's so cute." She groaned and collapsed next to Maria, whining into her pillow. "I like her too much."   
  
"Me too," Maria said, looking up at the ceiling.   
  
Eliza pushed her head up so Maria could look at her. "How are you so calm about this?"   
  
"I'm afraid that if I start freaking out that I'll realize exactly how much I like her, and I think doing that will kill me," she whispered, accepting Eliza's kiss to the cheek when she gave it to her.   
  
"I'm gonna go take a shower, okay?"   
  
Maria nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna take a nap, but wake me up when you get out."   
  
"Will do." Eliza kissed her shoulder and went into the bathroom, leaving Maria lying in their bed alone.   
  
\---   
  
"Alex, you do not need to dress fancy for dinner at your own house," Thomas said, leaning back on his hands. Lafayette scoffed from next to him, dress pants on and the button up work shirt that was just a _little_ too tight, but in all the right ways.   
  
"Yes, I do, and so do you. You're not wearing a T-shirt when my best friend and her wife, who are kind of dating/hooking up with our fiance's best friend, are coming over." He paused. "Did I get that right?"   
  
Lafayette smiled. "I think."   
  
"What's even _happening_ with that?" Thomas asked. "Because Adrienne seems really excited before she goes out with them, and then comes home and vents about how much she likes them and how much it hurts to like them because she has to go home soon, but then goes back and does it all over again. But then again I kind of get it because we went on dates before we got together and then I would have you drop me off at Angelica's to cry about how in love with you I was, but then again I don't because I didn't have to go home to another country after we got together."   
  
Alexander leaned down and kissed Thomas. "I used to worry you had us drop you off at Angelica's because you didn't like us."   
  
"Oh my _god_ , you used to panic thinking that Thomas was going up to complain about how we forced him into hanging out with us for the millionth time, and sometimes _I_ would panic because it made, like, _too_ much sense."   
  
"You're both ridiculous in assuming I haven't loved you from the very start," Thomas told them, wrapping his arms around Alex's waist and resting them on his hips.   
  
"Thomas," Alex muttered into his shirt, "we didn't like each other at the start."   
  
"I loved you from the first day I saw you, I just didn't know it yet."   
  
Alex curled further into him. "I loved you too, I still do." He paused for a second, letting them enjoy the silence, before interrupting it with, "Now go change your fucking outfit."   
  
\---   
  
"Do I look okay?" Adrienne asked, smoothing out her dress. "I feel like I should've done something different with my hair."   
  
Lafayette looked up from whatever the fuck Thomas had cooking on the stove, little dumplings or something sizzling in a pan, and over to Adrienne, who shuffled on her feet like the floor beneath her would give out at any given moment. She looked stunning, yellow dress and wedges, braids down completely.   
  
"You look fine, love. You don't have to change a thing."   
  
"I can't believe you made me invite them over."   
  
"This is good for you!" Alex called from the top of the stairs. "And good for me, because apparently I have issues regarding my need to keep the guest room in perfect condition and this is helping me get over those." He kissed Lafayette as he reached the bottom, a sight that would have killed her just a week and a half ago, but now only made her happy.   
  
"You do have a problem with the guest room," Thomas commented, following him down the stairs, "but we love you for it."   
  
She wrinkled her nose at them. "You're all gross."   
  
Lafayette laughed but didn't answer. " _Ma crevette_ , what are these right here?"   
  
"Oh! _Non_ , those are mine," Thomas said, scooching the two loves of his life over so he could move them around in the pan. "They're pierogies."   
  
"They're _what_ ?" Alex questioned, poking at one with the meat thermometer. Thomas smacked his hands away.   
  
"Pierogies," he repeated, "pasta filled with mashed potatoes, don't question it. They're the last thing we're having, now go set the table."   
  
" _Ugh,_ you're bossy when you want to impress. " Lafayette kissed Thomas' cheek and took the plates down from the cabinet.   
  
There was a knock on the door as Thomas stuck his sauteed pierogies into a bowl, Adrienne looking over from where she was setting wine glasses on the table with Alex, Lafayette rushing to answer. Adrienne saw the sweaty handprint she left on Thomas' glass, and quickly switched with him to cover the issue.   
  
"You're fine, they already like you," Alex told her, smiling. Adrienne sighed, nodding.   
  
"It's just, this place is currently like my temporary home, and _showing_ that to them, even if they've already been here hundreds of times, them coming here as my _dates_ means so much more than a casual fling meant to last a week. Not to mention you three being my weird parents who set me up with people I like."   
  
"Maybe you can make it work with them?" Alex suggested. "Have you ever even _considered_ the fact that it might work out?"   
  
Adrienne was about to answer, she felt the words on the tip of her tongue before disappearing into thin air as Eliza and Maria came in. Eliza's hair was down, just barely grazing her shoulders, wearing a red dress that contrasted beautifully with her skin, skirt swaying in the breeze that carried from the outside hallway. Maria, hair always pulled back in a high ponytail, wore deep blue, a pantsuit that Adrienne didn't want to admit she loved. She looked like royalty, and Adrienne was nothing but a commoner compared to her. She froze in plain sight, trying to find a response to the smiles they offered but she found herself unable to move and barely even breathe.   
  
"Howdy," Eliza greeted, beaming brighter than the sun. Maria looked mortified.   
  
"Who _are_ you?"   
  
"Y'know, historically cowboys were queer men of color in the desert, so I'm batting two for four here, given that I'm not in the desert nor do I currently identify as male. I'm half cowboy technically by those standards." Eliza handed Alex a bottle of wine. "We brought this, by the way."   
  
"That makes me three fourths cowboy," Alex thought aloud. "Also, thank you, we're running low on our supply."   
  
"That means we need to go back to the wine shop soon." Thomas squealed. Adrienne jumped as Fettuccine, their cat, woke up from her spot curled up on the couch with a loud mewl.   
  
" _Thomas_ , you woke up _notre petite fille_ ," Lafayette scolded, nudging him in the stomach.   
  
"Sorry," He apologized half-heartedly, going over and picking up the cat, who accepted it and crawled further into his arms.   
  
"He's so sweet, I might have a heart attack right here," Alex announced. "I love him."   
  
Thomas laughed. "You do call me sugar cube for a reason."   
  
"Very true, sugar cube," Alex agreed, "very true."   
  
Adrienne's heart, deep down where she would never admit it, yearned for a life with Eliza and Maria like Lafayette had with Alex and Thomas, the comfort in being able to know where you were going in your future, to have a relationship that never expired and to love the people in that relationship with all you had. She _wanted_ that, she wanted that with them, but she lived an ocean away and they were already _happy_ without her.   
  
"You look stunning," Adrienne managed, fiddling with her nails. "I don't really know what to say other than that, my parents are here."   
  
"Howdy," Thomas nodded to them, tipping his imaginary hat.   
  
"I swear to all that is holy do not make me divorce you," Lafayette warned, pulling his and Alex's chairs out before sitting in their own.   
  
Thomas gasped. "You would never."   
  
"Do _not_ test me."   
  
Maria came up behind her and put her hand on her waist, not so much as to embarrass her, but just enough where her heart raced in her chest. Eliza stood next to her, hand on the back of her thigh.   
  
"Let's eat?" Maria asked. "Wouldn't want the pierogies to get cold."   
  
"What the _fuck_ ?" Alex said, sitting down.   
  
Eliza laughed, leaning over to whisper in Adrienne's ear. "I'm excited for desert."   
  
"I think it's cheesecake," Adrienne told her, chills running down her back as Eliza's hand came to the top of her thigh.   
  
"I wasn't talking about that."   
  
\---   
  
Eliza, in all honesty, sweaty as all hell. Her suave nature had come from nowhere, and she could see how much it affected both of the women to her left, as Maria ate in silence, face red as a tomato, and Adrienne had to breathe very deeply for five whole minutes before she could even manage to contribute to the conversation they were having. Eliza was almost giddy, drunk on her arousal, as Adrienne grabbed her hand.   
  
"You're killing me, and you're not even doing anything," she mumbled, as Alex cackled in between Lafayette and Thomas, drowning them out.   
  
"Do you want me to stop?" Eliza asked, moving to pull her hand away.   
  
"No, green, my heart is just busting out of my chest. The influence you have on me is enough to kill." Her thumb moved back and forth across her skin, inching further up until it was almost between her legs, fabric of her dress stopping her. Maria had Adrienne's other hand, as Lafayette, Alex, and Thomas cleaned up, all three throwing Eliza a sly look as they went to the sink.   
  
"You two are going to murder me," Maria spit, eyes wide on Eliza's hand. "Have you been doing this all night?"   
  
"Past half hour," Eliza replied, kissing her over Adrienne. "Why? Do you want something, love?"   
  
The color drained from Maria's face and then subsequently flooded it as she sat back in her chair, spine ramrod straight. The question was one Maria knew, heard a million times before in the past eight years, and one Adrienne heard a few times. She didn't have to wonder what it meant, as ninety-nine percent of the time it'd been asked is when they were fucking, when Eliza took control and Maria willingly gave it to her.   
  
Desert went quickly, as quick as it could go with nobody eating it, all wanting to get to bed. Thomas made an excuse to leave early, spilling wine on his pastel blue shirt, and rushing off with Lafayette to help go clean it up. Alex threw the dishes that remained in the sink before claiming he needed to help, running up after them.   
  
"Shall we?" Eliza questioned, standing up from the table.   
  
"Follow my lead," Adrienne answered, guiding the both of them to her room.   
  
The next morning Eliza and Maria woke up in bed alone, and the suitcase propped up by the door the night before was missing. All traces of Adrienne was gone, except for one note left on the bedside table.   
  
_Had to catch my plane. Thank you for this week, and I hope we can meet again in the future._

_\- Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles_

\---  
  
Lafayette sat back with a bottle of wine in one hand and the other buried in Fettuccine's fur. "So what you're _telling_ me, is that my best friend, with whom you had a relationship with that _ended_ six weeks ago, who still texts you and pays the international fee to call you even though it's a good chunk of fucking money, and you think that's  _platonic_ in anyway?"   
  
Eliza shrugged, shifting her feet in Alex's lap. Hercules combed her hair to the side as Thomas came back with crackers and sat right in Lafayette's lap.   
  
"Yeah, I guess. We said our relationship would only last a week, but we never said that our _friendship_ had to end after a week."   
  
"You do not have skype sex with your fucking friends," Alex objected, jolting when Eliza kicked him.   
  
"You _what?_ " Hercules yelled, screaming as Eliza sat up and slapped Alex on the arm.   
  
"You weren't supposed to _say anything!_ ""   
  
"Sorry! I thought you at least told Hercules! We talk about everything all the time, I wasn't thinking you would keep the secret from him, and also Thomas already knew because he was _with me_ when I talked to you."   
  
Eliza buried her face in her hands. " _Ugh_ . I want to die."   
  
"You love her," Thomas slurred, leaning back to kiss Lafayette's neck. "You love her so much you don't want to admit it, because admitting it hurts more than loving her does."   
  
There was a long pause before anyone said anything about that.   
  
"You're going to bed," Lafayette decided, picking Thomas up like he weighed nothing and carrying him to their bedroom.   
  
Eliza sat back on the couch and collapsed onto Hercules' shoulder. Tears dotted her eyes before she could do anything about it. She didn't want to love Adrienne, she didn't want to _fall in love_ with Adrienne, but before she could even object to it, she was standing drowned in the valley between her hips and the smooth plane of her back, the steep mountain range that were the knuckles of her closed fists and wrapped in the ribbon of her words, swimming in the thoughts she chose to speak aloud. She loved her, absolutely, and nothing petrified her more than that.   
  
"Eliza…" Alex muttered, throwing his blanket over the three of them and kissing her temple.   
  
"I _do_ love her, Alex. I love her so fucking much and every time I see her, it hits me so hard. Every time I see her and Maria, on the phone or just texting each other in our stupid group chat, my heart just feels so heavy because I know she feels the same way and I can't, I don't know what to do."   
  
"I think you should maybe go home and talk to them about it?" Hercules suggested. "If this is really important to you, which it _is_ , you should talk to them about it."   
  
Eliza nodded, standing. "Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna go home now, goodnight."   
  
"Bye, Eliza," Alex called as she grabbed her purse and her keys. "Good luck!"   
  
Eliza unlocked the door to their apartment, trudging to their bedroom to talk to Maria, surprised when she saw Adrienne, looking up at the door from the other side of a computer screen, behind Maria, sleeping soundly. Her image came in grainy and pixelated, but the outline of her was clear, and that was enough to make Eliza happier than she had been seconds before.   
  
"Hey," she breathed. "Shouldn't you be asleep? It's five in the morning where you are."   
  
Adrienne shrugged. "The exhibit I oversee is being renovated for better preservation of the artifacts, so I have off until next Monday. Besides, she looks so beautiful when she's asleep, I would stay up just to see her."   
  
"I think we need to talk," Eliza said, brought it up before she could get distracted. "About the one week thing and the casual thing and how none of us are listening to the rules we set so we don't get hurt, and therefore are making ourselves destined to _be_ hurt in the process."   
  
"I know."   
  
"I don't want to decide anything without Maria here, though." Eliza swallowed.   
  
"Of course, that makes sense." She swallowed hard. "I think I might go to bed."   
  
"Goodnight, Adrienne."   
  
"Goodnight, Eliza."   
  
Adrienne ended the call and Eliza put Maria's laptop away, throwing her shirt and shorts on the floor before crawling into bed with her wife, wrapping her arms around her until they almost became one person.   
  
"Where'd Adrienne go?" Maria grumbled as she woke up, eyes barely open. "She was telling me about Paris."   
  
"She went to sleep, my love. I told her that we need to talk to her tomorrow, about all of us. I hope you're not upset."   
  
Maria turned to her, eyes wide and afraid in a way she understood too well. She shook her head. "I love her, Eliza."   
  
"I know. Me too."   
  
Maria nodded and kissed her. "I love you."   
  
"I love you too, now get some sleep."

**Author's Note:**

> hi !! this is so bad but it's taken me forever to write and is mostly just me venting bc I have a stupid ass fuckin crush on this girl!!!! and I am dying


End file.
